Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Patient pair help cats relax

Kittens Mishy and Murphy – sister and brother – were found
living in a garden. The black-and-white cats were nervous when they were
brought into Cats Protection’s Haslemere Adoption Centre in Surrey.

While Mishy and Murphy were well looked after at the centre,
their timidity meant they were passed over by potential adopters.

A few weeks after they arrived at Haslemere, Kelly Mowatt visited
the centre to look for an unusual birthday present for her husband Alan. Experienced
cat owners, the couple had lost two of their feline friends the previous year
and Kelly thought she’d surprise Alan with another cat.

“I wanted a cat who was in desperate need of a home,” says
Kelly. “CP was recommended by a colleague and Haslemere was just down the road
from us.”

She says: “Mishy and Murphy stood out because they were the
most timid – huddling together, nervous, flinching when you tried to pet them.”

Kelly and Alan had succeeded with their two formerly-nervous
rescue cats Tripod and Pickle so the challenges ahead didn’t bother her.

While Kelly had planned to just adopt one cat, Mishy and
Murphy came as a pair so she agreed to take them both on!

The cats went home with Kelly in February, and were very
nervous to begin with and hid, which is a natural behaviour cats express when
they feel uncertain. Kelly and Alan kept Mishy and Murphy in the back bedroom at first so they could explore their new home gradually.

Mishy (right) and Murphy have gradually settled in to their new home

Over the next three weeks, the couple spent lots of time
talking gently to the cats and coaxing them out of their shells with the help
of some tasty food. Mishy and Murphy began to respond and bond with their new
owners.

The cats have come a long way in a few short months.

Kelly says: “They are very happy, playful cats. We
still have a long way to go and it’s very much on their terms…but they are now
‘talking’ to us with meows, chirrups and purrs.”

Mishy and Murphy like to chatter to the birds and squirrels
outside from behind the patio window, while Murphy has discovered that if he
continually jumps on and off the bed, his owners will eventually give in and
get him breakfast!